CERVETERI TARQUINIA COP_INGL28-07_Layout 1 30/07/14 09:07 Pagina 1
TREASURES OF ITALY AND UNESCO
COMUNE DI CERVETERI
euro 4,90 (i.i.)
COMUNE DI TARQUINIA
CERVETERI AND TARQUINIA
Historic Centre of Urbino Archaeological Areas and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia Villa Adriana (Tivoli) Aeolian Islands Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and other Franciscan Sites City of Verona Villa d’Este (Tivoli) Late Baroque towns of the Val di Noto Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia Val d’Orcia Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli Mantua and Sabbioneta Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes The Dolomites Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power (568-774 A.D.) Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany Mount Etna Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato
ETRUSCAN NECROPOLISES OF CERVETERI AND TARQUINIA
Rock Drawings in Valcamonica Church and Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci Historic Centre of Florence Venice and its Lagoon Piazza del Duomo, Pisa Historic Centre of San Gimignano The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto Historic Centre of Siena Historic Centre of Naples Crespi d’Adda Ferrara, City of the Renaissance and its Po Delta Castel del Monte The Trulli of Alberobello Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna Historic Centre of the city of Pienza 18th Century Royal Palace at Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli and the San Leucio Complex Residences of the Royal House of Savoy Botanical Garden, Padua Portovenere, Cinque Terre and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto) Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata Costiera Amalfitana Archaeological Areas of Agrigento Villa Romana del Casale di Piazza Armerina Su Nuraxi di Barumini Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archeological Sites of Paestum and Velia and the Certosa di Padula
ETRUSCAN NECROPOLISES OF
I TESORI D’ITALIA E L’UNESCO
One of UNESCO’s main objectives is identifying, protecting, safeguarding, and transmitting the world’s cultural and natural heritage to future generations. Since the adoption of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1972, to date, UNESCO has recognised 1001 world heritage sites (777 cultural, 194 natural and 30 mixed properties) in 160 countries. Italy is the country with the largest amount of sites included in the World Heritage List and the “Treasures of Italy and UNESCO” collection takes readers on a journey to admire its inimitable treasures of nature, art and architecture.
TREASURES OF ITALY AND UNESCO
ETRUSCAN NECROPOLISES OF CERVETERI AND TARQUINIA
This publication is issued under the patronage of the “Italian National UNESCO Commission”
Word by: Cristina Ridi, Università di Milano (Tarquinia) Rita Lucarini (Cerveteri) Editorial coordinator: Alessandro Avanzino Account: Paola Ciocca Bianchi Editor: Titti Motta Graphics and page layout by: Gabriella Zanobini Ravazzolo Photos: Comune di Tarquinia (Valorizzazione Aree Archeologiche), Università di Milano (Cattedra di Etruscologia), Archivio T.Arc.H.N.A. Culture 2000 N. 2004-1488, Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell'Etruria Meridionale, Fabrizio Fazzari Translation: Langue&Parole Printed by: Grafiche G7 Sas for Sagep Editori Srl, August 2014
© 2014 Sagep Editori www.sagep.it ISBN 978-88-6373-246-7
UNESCO, founded in Paris on 4th November 1945, is a United Nations organisation which deals with culture, education, sciences, and the arts. With its headquarters in Paris, UNESCO currently has 195 member states. UNESCO has two basic objectives: to promote dialogue between the cultures of member states and develop them, and to preserve the cultural and natural heritage of humanity. The former objective is extremely significant in the organisation’s activities, as the body itself was built on the conviction that only constant intercultural dialogue and development of culture, the arts, sciences, and education systems can encourage cooperation between nations, understanding between populations, and economic progress, social justice, and world peace. UNESCO pursues the latter goal by identifying, protecting, safeguarding, and transmitting the world’s cultural and natural assets to future generations. Based on an international treaty (the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage), to date, UNESCO has recognised 1001 world heritage sites (777 cultural, 194 natural and 30 mixed properties) in 160 countries. According to the Convention, cultural heritage means a monument, a group of buildings or a site of historical, aesthetic, archaeological, scientific, ethnological or anthropological value. Natural heritage, on the other hand, indicates physical, biological, and geological features, in addition to the habitat of threatened species of animals and plants and areas of outstanding universal value from the aesthetic or scientific point of view. Heritage represents the inheritance of the past that we all benefit from and transmit to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritages are an irreplaceable source of life and inspiration. Unique and diverse places such as the wild stretches of the Serengeti National Park in eastern Africa, the Pyramids in Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin American make up our World Heritage. It is the universal application that makes the concept of World Heritage truly exceptional. World Heritage Sites belong to all the populaces of the world, beyond the lands where they are located. www.unesco.org
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2004 Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia he Etruscans are one of the most fascinating, mysterious, and complex populations featured throughout the evolution of the Mediterranean basin. A proud, warrior people, they reached extremely high levels in the arts and social structure. Their rule lasted hundreds of years, especially in southern Tuscany and Lazio before the rise of Rome. The Etruscans’ strong sense of devotion and respect for the dead is evidenced in the extraordinary burial sites like the Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia. These are a unique, exceptional testimony of the ancient Etruscan civilisation, with their urbanistic structures and the frescos found in the burial chambers.
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Date of Inscription: 2004 Criteria: (I) (III) (IV) (I) The necropolises of Tarquinia and Cerveteri are masterpieces of creative genius: Tarquinia’s large-scale wall paintings are exceptional both for their formal qualities and for their content, which reveal aspects of life, death, and religious beliefs of the ancient Etruscans. Cerveteri shows in a funerary context the same town planning and architectural schemes used in an ancient city. (III) The two necropolises constitute a unique and exceptional testimony to the ancient Etruscan civilisation, the only urban type of civilisation in preRoman Italy.
Moreover, the depiction of daily life in the frescoed tombs, many of which are replicas of Etruscan houses, is a unique testimony to this vanished culture. (IV) Many of the tombs of Tarquinia and Cerveteri represent types of buildings which no longer exist in any other form. The cemeteries, replicas of Etruscan town planning schemes, are some of the earliest existing in the region.
National Museum of Tarquinia, Room of the triple-lancet windows, Attic ceramic vase.
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CERVETERI The landscape
The Trench Tombs and Oak Tumulus. On the opposite page: Mask.
The landscape is composed of broad tufaceous plateaus formed in the Pleistocene era, divided up by river valleys, with the Manganello River to the north and the Fosso della Mola River to the south. The central Vignali plateau, of roughly 160 hectares, was fully inhabited by the settlement with the necropolises spread out around it: Banditaccia (the best known and explored necropolis), Monte Abatone, Sorbo, Cava della Pozzolana, and Greppe Sant’Angelo. The picturesque forested valleys are crossed by creeks, rivers, and waterfalls, which join the sea along the Tyrrhenian coast.
The black iron sand of the beaches testifies the presence of this element that was the fortune of the Etruscan city, Caere. Iron was the most important and indemand raw material of the age. The extremely rich water led to abundant vegetation featuring species of trees typical of the Mediterranean scrub, such as rhododendron, larch, broom, myrtle, and mimosa. The Necropolis of Banditaccia A UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004, the Necropolis of Banditaccia was the city’s most important necropolis. Fully preserved, it is by far the largest necropolis of the ancient world surviving to this day.
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The history Cerveteri – Caisra in Etruscan, Agylla for the Greeks, and Caere for the Romans – was one of the most important cities of ancient Etruria, extremely large and magnificent in its wealth, boasting a multi-ethnic culture, and deeply influenced by Greece. Believed to have been founded by the legendary population of Greek origin, the Pelasgians (Strabo), the Etruscan city was created from the evolution of small prehistoric Villanovan settlements. The life of the city is documented starting from the 9th century BC and continued for the entire millennium. Thanks to the three important ports of Pyrgi (modern-day Santa Severa), Punicum (Santa Marinella), and Alsium (Palo), the city traded all around the Mediterranean basin, with the Phoenicians and the Egyptians first of all, and then with the Greeks that colonised southern Italy, then directly with Corinth and the city of Ionia, from which many artists emigrated, and finally with Athens and the cities of Attica. The Roman writer Livio told stories of the wonders of the waters of Fons Herculis, at Aquae Caerites, near
Sasso, which turned red during the Second Punic War. The medieval history of Cerveteri is certainly less known and was poorer than its ancient history. The city underwent a rather tormented phase in this period. Between the 9th and 10th centuries, it was subject to a turbulent and oppressive regime, also suffering the impact of events involving Rome, such as the Saracen invasion. The breakout of malaria forced the population to move to what is now known as Ceri. The old Caere then took the name of Caere Vetus, which was then Italianised into Cerveteri. At the end of the 15th century, the noble families of Orsini, Farnese, and Della Rovere set up residence here and, in the 16th century, it became a principality owned by the Ruspoli family. In modern Cerveteri, it is worth noting Piazza Santa Maria, with its Romanesque church and Palazzo Ruspoli dating to the 16th century, whose rear façade is incorporated into the rock, comprising a tower and walls that absorb long stretches of the ancient Etruscan fortification, and the medieval quarter of Boccetta with the church of Sant’Antonio
Abate containing frescos by Lorenzo da Viterbo. Another significant element in the area of Cerveteri is the small characteristic medieval town of Ceri, located on a plateau in the valley and dominated by the monumental fortress of Anguillara. The town has maintained a very suggestive layout, dominated by the Romanesque church dedicated to the martyr pope San Felice, now the sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Ceri Madre di Misericordia. The frescos found in the church in Ceri are dated to between 1100 and 1130. Another Medieval jewel of the area is the castle of Sasso, a fortified building surrounded by many houses, which were used as homes for the service staff. This was assigned by Pope Clement VII to the main hospital of Santo Spirito in 1534, which then sold it to Giovanni Patrizi in 1552. The church of Santa Croce was built in the 16th century with a single nave.
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Tumuli inside the Necropolis.
It is a perfect reproduction of the city inhabited by the living with tombs that faithfully reproduce the typical structures of Etruscan houses, becoming a unique example of civil architecture from ancient times to the late Hellenistic period for a period of approximately six centuries. It is immersed in a suggestive park with high landscape importance, with the ancient roads and paths clambering around the tombs. Visitors are given the impression of finding themselves inside a real city, set out in
quarters, and divided up by the main roads and secondary streets along which the tombs are laid. This is the main burial area of ancient Caere, where most of the
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monumental tombs are concentrated. It is an immense complex (approximately 20,000 burial chambers are estimated in this necropolis alone) with
extremely unique features which led to the area being included in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. When you reach the town of Cerveteri, follow the signs for the Necropolis of Banditaccia and continue along a road flanked by cypress trees, the so-called Motorway, which leads to a large car park overlooking the ticket office. Located on a tufaceous plateau parallel to the urban area, the Necropolis of Banditaccia was in use as early as the 7th century BC. The necropolis is divided into numerous sectors, which reflect the various nuclei that made up the necropolis during its long period of existence, up to the 1st century BC.
View of Via Sepolcrale.
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New multimedia visiting itinerary As of 2012, it is now possible to enrich your visit to the Enclosure of the Etruscan Necropolis of Banditaccia with a new multimedia itinerary, an upstanding example of how technology can facilitate the understanding of cultural heritage for informational purposes. The route begins with the showing of a video in 3D at the welcome centre and continues with a visit to eight of the most famous tombs of this area. Some of the tombs are animated with sound and light while an audio commentary explains the tombs, illuminating the most significant elements from an architectural and ritual point of view (Tomb of the Hut, Tomb of the Jars and Fire Dogs, Tomb of the Funeral Beds, Tomb of the Capitals). The Tomb of the Grecian Vases, Tomb of the Frame, Tomb of the Pillar, and Tomb of the House, on the other hand, have been installed with state-ofthe-art projectors which, thanks to a spectacular three-dimensional effect, manage to recreate the environment of the tombs as they were in ancient times, full of all the objects and ornaments that made up the grave goods of the deceased. This itinerary is available in six languages. The voice of the Italian commentary is that of Piero Angela. Projection of a video in 3D at the centre.
Itinerary 1 – The Enclosure The area open to the public spreads over almost 10 hectares, covering less than one tenth of the entire necropolis. Above all, we are struck here by the imposing circular tumuli with hemispherical earth caps, cube tombs, and the large noble hypogea set along the main road, Via Sepolcrale, and the minor roads. Before starting your visit, we recommend you stop and look at the overall plan of the area to appreciate the layout of the tombs and then follow the itinerary indicated by the signs. The itinerary includes a visit to the tombs in the Old and New Enclosure, the area excavated, restored, and made usable to the public thanks to
the work carried out initially by Raniero Mengarelli (between 1909 and 1933) and then Mario Moretti (between 1959 and 1970). Once you enter the Enclosure and pass the ticket office, you are immediately faced with a striking landscape, including a full view of the main road, Via Sepolcrale, with various rows of tombs along its sides. In some sections of the road you can still see the tracks of the cartwheels, evidence that the street was not only used for funeral purposes. Ranging from the Villanovan tombs, the large Orientalising period tumuli that reflect an aristocratic society, the regularly arrayed cube tombs, to the noble hypogea, the area offers unique testimony of Etruscan funerary architecture and also, indirectly,
15 civil architecture. 1. Villanovan Tombs If you want to visit the site in chronological order, we recommend you momentarily leave the main Via Sepolcrale and take the path that leads left to reach the zone where the oldest graves of the necropolis can be seen. These are small pits dug into the tuff rock dating to the Villanovan era where the clay urns containing the ashes of the dead were laid, along with some trench tombs attributable to the advanced Villanovan period. You can then continue your visit to the imposing Tumulus II. 8th century BC 2. Tumulus II, Tomb of the Hut This is the most ancient of the four
tombs found inside Tumulus II, and one of the most impressive of the necropolis (approximately 15 metres in height and 40 metres in
The Tomb of the Jars. The Tomb of the Grecian Vases, exterior. On the opposite page: The Tomb of the Grecian Vases, entrance.
16 Cerveteri period of time of roughly two centuries and most probably belong to the same family group. The Tomb of the Hut, which features a long entrance dromos and contains two side chambers and two rooms placed along the longitude axis, imitates a typical structure of the era with a markedly sloped double-pitched roof ending in the central beam. Early 7th century BC.
Tomba dei Dolii. Tomba dei Vasi Greci, esterno. Nella pagina a fronte: Tomba Vasi Greci, ingresso.
diameter). The tombs (Tomb of the Hut, Tomb of the Jars, Tomb of the Grecian Vases, and Tomb of the Funeral Beds) are chronologically distributed over a
3. Tomb of the Capitals This features a short dromos with two small side chambers leading to a rectangular vestibule with eight klineshaped beds lined along the walls, adorned with two columns with cylinder bases and Aeolic capitals supporting a flat
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coffered ceiling, decorated with large beams and smaller beams. The back wall contains three doors leading to further rooms, which feature a coffer bed with triangular tympanum ends (a style used for women) to the right, a kline to the left, and a bench at the back wall for the grave goods. The tomb follows the same plan as a typical aristocratic home, where the section used for entertaining is separate from the private quarters. First half of the 4th century BC.
18 Cerveteri metres by 7.80 metres). There are 13 double recesses carved into the walls with a bench sectioned by curbs for 31 other corpses. The walls are covered in plaster decorated in polychrome stucco reliefs, representing objects hanging on nails used in public and private life: artefacts used in the funeral rite, figures representing the
The Tomb of the Capitals, entrance.
4. Tomb of the Reliefs This hypogeum is accessed along a long stairway deeply cut into the tuff stone. Its layout features a single chamber with a bench, burial recesses in the walls, and a double-pitched ceiling. This style became standard from the 4th century BC onwards and here presents a majestic aspect (6.50
19 journey to the afterlife, and tools linked to both military and domestic life. Discovered in 1851, the tomb belonged to the Matuna family. Second half of the 4th century BC. 5. Tomb of the Frame At the point where Via Sepolcrale presents a three-way crossroads, take the
road to the right to reach the Tomb of the Frame. Similar in layout to the Tomb of the Capitals, this tomb evokes a domestic interior in a very realistic way. The flat roof features marked parallel beams; the vestibule, characterised by a protruding frame that gives the tomb its name, presents four kline beds on the side walls and, to the sides
The Tomb of the Capitals, interior.
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The Tomb of the Reliefs, entrance.
21 of the entrance, two benches carved into the tuff stone. The back wall contains three Doric-style doors leading to additional chambers, each with two side beds. Two pairs of windows open onto the side of the central door; their original function in a domestic environment was to cast light from the vestibule into the rooms. Early 6th
century BC. 6. Via dei Monti della Tolfa - Via dei Monti Ceriti This sector of the necropolis is characterised by roads that cross each other perpendicularly, creating rectangular blocks of cube tombs built in series, aligned and uniform in size and prospectus. With their entrances always facing eastwards, the tombs
The so-called Beautiful Tomb, interior.
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with marked frames and banding and Doric-style doors are almost entirely built with outlining in clear colours that contrast with the tuff stone walls. This section of the necropolis reproduces the layout of urban buildings which, starting from the 6th century BC, evolved into an octagonal form according to regular urban planning. 7. Tumuli of the New Enclosure Once you pass Via dei Monti Ceriti, continue until you reach a small square containing the large
Maroi Tumulus, which contained three tombs from the Orientalising era, with one reconstructed in the Museum of Villa Giulia complete with the original grave goods. In front of the Maroi Tumulus, you find the Polychrome Tumulus, which is smaller in size but is characterised by a cylinder made with different types of tuff stone, creating a particular polychrome effect. Inside the Polychrome Tumulus there are still traces of banding painted in red that decorated the ceiling and the
23 tops of the walls. Again in this zone, there are two large tumuli dating to the 7th century BC: the Mengarelli Tumulus and the Tumulus of the Colonel. The former contains just one tomb with a complex layout, while the latter features four tombs with the oldest one similar in plan to the Tomb of the Hut. 7th to 6th century BC. 8. Tomb of Marce Ursus When you leave the Mengarelli Tumulus, go back along Via Sepolcrale, which turns into Via degli Inferi, and you come
Via dei Monti della Tolfa. Via dei Monti Ceriti.
24 Cerveteri to two twin tombs included in a cube structure with the base carved into the rock and raised on quadrangular blocks. One of the two tombs is called the Tomb of Marce Ursus, from the name of the owner of the tomb, as we see from the inscription carved into the walls of one of the two parallel chambers composing the tomb. They are preceded by a perpendicular vestibule with a double-pitched roof and marked central beam. You enter the tomb via a short corridor equipped with a opening, a kind of chimney that linked the inside to the external part of the tumulus. 6th to 5th century BC.
The Polychrome Tumulus.
Itinerary 2 – The Large Tumuli Outside the monumental
enclosure, in front of the ticket office and towards the valley formed by the Fosso del Manganello River, you can see three large tumuli dating to the Orientalising period rising up from the landscape: the Tumulus of the Shields and Chairs, the Tumulus of the Painted Animals, and the Tumulus of the Ship, which can be visited upon request. Explorations began in the area in the 1830s with the unearthing of the Tumulus of the Shields and Chairs and the Tumulus of the Painted Animals, which have been left open since then. The Tumulus of the Shields and Chairs, which rises majestically (50 metres in diameter) almost in front of the ticket office, includes three chamber tombs, with the most ancient
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being the Tomb of the Painted Lions. The Tumulus of the Painted Animals includes four chamber tombs, with the oldest being the tomb of the same name. The Tomb of the Ship, on the other hand, includes three chamber tombs, again with the oldest being the tomb of the same name. The same area contains other medium-sized tumuli, including the Moretti Tumulus, situated between the Tumulus of the Ship and the Tumulus of the Painted Animals, and the Tumulus of the Painted Tile, situated to the north of the Tumulus of the Shields and Chairs. On the edge of the cliff, which plummets down into Fosso del Manganello, there are the Tomb of Tablino, the Tomb of the Sea Waves, and Tomb of
the Pillars. 1. Tumulus of the Shields and Chairs, Tomb of the Painted Lions The Tumulus of the Shields and Chairs includes three tombs, with the oldest being the Tomb of the Painted Lions, with the entrance facing northwest. The tomb is characterised by a long dromos with steps (12 metres) which end in two small side chambers, set out in the same layout, which can be accessed via two high-arched doors. Both chambers, equipped with two beds and a central bench, featured decorations painted in red, black, and white directly into the walls, representing a man between two facing lions. The main complex presents two aligned rooms preceded by a
Tumulus inside the enclosure.
26 Cerveteri and reproduces an aristocratic house of the 6th century BC: a short dromos, two side chambers, and a large vestibule from which three coaxial rooms open out. Worth noting is the particular care taken in the carvings and the stylistic details of the furnishings. To the sides of the back door of the vestibule, you note two seats with curved backs and footstools carved into the tuff stone and, along the walls, a series of low-relief hanging shields. These features gave the tomb and related tumulus their name.
Trench inside the Necropolis.
type of vestibule with a curved singlepitched roof and beams placed in a radial design from a central disc. Second half of the 7th century BC. 2. Tomb of the Shields and Chairs The tomb with a north-east entrance is similar in layout to the Tomb of the Capitals and the Tomb of the Frame,
3. Painted Animals Built around the middle of the 7th century BC, the Tumulus of the Painted Animals includes four chamber tombs. The most ancient of these is the Tomb of the Painted Animals with a north-westerly facing entrance. The layout features a long dromos with steps, which ends with three high-arched doors, with the two side doors leading into two chambers, while the back doorway gives access to a series of coaxial environments (total length of 14 metres): an elliptical vestibule,
27 with traces of painting on the walls (annalist decoration) and a large environment divided into three by four pillars. The walls of the central environment feature two monumental beds, one in an arch style and the other one a kline structure. Second half of the 7th century BC Itinerary 3 – Via degli Inferi Via degli Inferi was cleaned up at the end of the last century thanks to the work carried out by the GAR (Roman Archaeological Group) in agreement with the Superintendence. It is built deeply into the tuff stone and immersed in spontaneous vegetation that is wild in places. The road started from one of the gates at the southern side of the city, went past the Fosso del Manganello River and was the original roadway inside the Necropolis of Banditaccia in its western fork. In the first section, near the Enclosure Area, the road meets the Tomb of the Doric Columns; it then continues on until it reaches a junction: to the left it leads to
Ponte Vivo, while the right-hand fork continues to the ancient city. In this section, characterised by its many squares, there is a series of tombs along the way in different sections and from various eras, from the Orientalising period to the Romanising epoch. The route, extremely evocative due to its rocky features, is not very comfortable. The road can be reached by following the fence of the Enclosure Area from the outside. Itinerary 4 – From the Enclosure to the area of the Tombs of the Municipality and Tomb of the Five Chairs Once you leave the Enclosure Area, continue along the “Motorway” towards the city and, on the right, you will find another section of the Necropolis of Banditaccia, which includes the area of the Tombs of the Municipality. To the right of the “Motorway”, and parallel to it, in the direction of the city, Via Sepolcrale continues along from the Enclosure to the most western part of the Necropolis. Here you find the
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The Tombs of the Municipality, hypogeum from the 4th century BC.
Tombs of the Municipality, mostly unearthed in the 19th century excavations. These are hypogea from the 4th century BC, which face onto quadrangular squares carved into the tuff rock. They are located in an area of the necropolis reserved for the noble families that dominated Caere in its period of alliance with Rome. Worth noting are the Tomb of the Alcove, the Tomb of the Inscriptions (named after the 50 painted or carved inscriptions indicating the names of the deceased), the Tomb of the Triclinium, the Tomb
of the Sarcophagi (which contained four white marble sarcophagi, with three conserved in the Museum of Cerveteri and one at the Gregorian Etruscan Museum), and the Tomb of the Tasmnii (with two painted sarcophagi in white marble, both now found in the local museum). This area also underwent geophysical prospecting by the Lerici Foundation. Tomb of the Five Chairs If you go back onto Via di Gricciano, just a few metres to the north, you will find
29 the Tomb of the Five Chairs, discovered in 1865 and characterised by the presence of a series of furniture carved into the rock. A dromos with steps leads to the inside of the tomb, which presents three environments. Lined up along the back wall of the room to the left, there are five chairs carved into the tuff stone with backrest, sides, and footstools, which held five terracotta statues (three male and two female), smaller than life-size, representing the ancestors of the owners of the hypogeum, seated and in the act of libation with the right hand open and held out. Two of the statues are conserved at the British Museum and one can be found at the Capitoline Museums. In recent years, the Superintendence, in collaboration with the GAR, carried out new excavations, unearthing a large monumental area which is currently being studied. The Cerite National Museum The Cerite National Archaeological Museum is located in Ruspoli Castle, in the historic centre of the
modern city, which lies above the acropolis of the ancient town of Caere. The museum, designed by the architect Franco Minissi, was inaugurated in 1967 when the medieval castle was left to the state in memory of the princess Claudia Ruspoli. During the visit, you can follow the various different cultural phases of Caere, from the 9th century BC to the Romanising era. Exhibited in chronological order, the materials held in the Museum originate most of all from the necropolis that surrounded the ancient urban centre. The lower floor includes the oldest grave goods – from the Villanovan, Orientalising and Ancient eras – from the tombs of the necropolises of Sorbo, Monte Abatone, and Banditaccia. Ground floor You enter the Museum through the forepart adjacent to one of the Castle towers and pass through the courtyard, where architectural fragments and Roman statues from the first Empire era are held. The visit to the interior
New 3D visiting route To complete the new multimedia itinerary of the Etruscan Necropolis of Banditaccia, the National Cerite Museum has also been fitted out with a new way to visit the museum (May 2013). The route is set out in four stages in the ground floor room of the museum. The installation of four projector panels in 3D really helps visitors understand the history of the most famous artefacts of the Cerite collection. Visitors are greeted by an introductory video, where the voice of Piero Angela summarises the characteristics of the Museum. The artefacts on exhibit cover a chronological period of time covering nine centuries. Thanks to the multimedia animation, the decorations of some vases are integrated, projected, and enlarged: ancient myths, daily life, sports, and religious cults become easy to see and the history of the object easier to understand. A “living museum” where the relationship between the visitors and the artefacts is completely inverted. The museum itself talks about itself, involving the public in a new manner, with an informative language and aided by the suggestion of technology. This itinerary is available in two languages: Italian and English.
30 Cerveteri starts from the cases placed to the right of the entrance, which exhibit some grave goods from the most ancient cremation tombs of the necropolis of Sorbo (9th to 8th centuries BC). Typical of this period are the dark clay urns and biconical ossuaries, which held the ashes of the deceased. These are followed by the grave goods of the trench tombs with interred corpses, which also include personal ornamental objects and ceramics for the “banquet of the afterlife�. Then we have the exhibition of goods from the chamber tombs dated to the 7th and 6th centuries BC, most of all from urban necropolises of Monte Abatone and Banditaccia. Alongside vases of local production, in bucchero and clay, and EtruscanCorinthian ceramics, there is rich and precious evidence of ceramics imported from Greece (especially containers for foods and fine tableware), a sign of the predominant role of Caere in the mercantile economy of the Mediterranean. Another typical type of ceramics used in this period is the small cinerary urns in red clay with doublepitched lids and
geometrical decoration in white on the rectangular case. There is also a more recent terracotta urn (end of the 6th century BC) with a banqueting wedding couple depicted on the lid. First floor The exhibition of the grave goods from the 6th to 5th centuries BC continues on the first floor, where you also find vases from the Odescalchi collection. One of these sets of grave goods contains the terracotta cover representing a young man half lying down at a feast, with stressed anatomy and legs crossed (early 5th century BC). The exhibition rooms to the left are dedicated to evidence originating from the urban area, with highlights of architectural terracotta and painted earthenware slabs, which decorated the interiors of civil buildings as in tombs, with heroic acts dominating the themes represented. There is an entire exhibition case reserved for a slab unearthed at Ceri, the so-called Slab of the Warrior, which has recently been restored. The excavations of the
31 urban area also give us the antefixes in female head form unearthed by Mengarelli in the area of Vigna Parrocchiale, together with some bowls dedicated to Hera, and the votive goods in terracotta from the sanctuary of Manganello: heads, anatomical votive objects, small altar figures from the 4th century BC up to the full Romanising era of Caere. The museum also exhibits funeral plaques, which present inscriptions in
Etruscan and Latin, and some sculptures of fantastical animals and monstrous demons, used to decorate the exterior of the tombs, with an outstanding Charon originating from the necropolis of Greppe Sant’Angelo (late 4th century BC). Worth noting are some sarcophagi, including both coffer tombs with double-pitched roof and sarcophagi with recumbent corpse, as in the case of the sarcophagus of the magistrate Venel Cippiera with capitals. Tamsnie.
32 Historical-naturalistic itineraries
Useful information Municipality of Cerveteri Piazza Risorgimento, 1 Tel. +39 06.896301 sindaco@comune.cerveteri.rm.it www.comune.cerveteri.rm.it Ufficio Vigili Urbani (Urban police) Tel. +39 06.9942586 Associazione Pro-loco (Tourist information) Piazza Risorgimento, 19 Tel. +39 06.99551971 prolococerveteri@libero.it P.I.T. (Tourist Information Point) Piazza Aldo Moro Tel. +39 06.99552637 Necropolis of Banditaccia Open every day except Monday From 9:00 am until one hour before sunset Tel. +39 06.9940001 National Cerite Museum Open every day except Monday From 9:00 am until one hour before sunset Tel. +39 06.9941354 PRIMO INTERVENTO (Emergency services) Cerveteri-Ladispoli Tel. +39 06.96669387 CARABINIERI Cerveteri (Police) Tel. +39 06.9940002
Historicalnaturalistic itineraries Historicalnaturalistic itineraries Etruscan Necropolises Banditaccia: Enclosed Monumental Necropolis, Large Tumuli outside the enclosure, Pond II, Via degli Inferi, Tombs of the Municipality, Tomb of the Five Chairs, Large Tumulus of the Fair – Other necropolises: Regolini Galassi Tomb (Sorbo), Campana Tumulus (Monte Abatone), Torlonia Tumulus (Monte Abatone), Tumuli of San Paolo (San Paolo). Ripa di Sant’Angelo funeral complex, Necropolis of Macchia della Signora, Tombs of Ceri.
Etruscan-Roman city Etruscan city Vigna Parrocchiale – Hypogeum of Genucius Clepsina – Etruscan-Roman baths (Valle del Manganello) – Etruscan sanctuary of Heracles (Sant’Antonio) – Etruscan city walls and gates.
Medieval and later city Piazza Santa Maria – Palazzo Ruspoli – Grifoni Houses – Church of Santa Maria Maggiore – Medieval Fortress and Gates – Via Agyllina – Church of Sant’Antonio Abate – Ancient furnace in Via dei Bastioni Panoramic view of the Ancient Fortress – Clock – Mascherone Fountain. Via per Castel Giuliano (waterfall and ironworks) – Chapel of San Felice in Ceri – Church of Santa Maria Immacolata in Ceri – Town of Ceri – Town of Sasso – Town of San Martino Church with works by Alfio Castelli – Roman baths at Pian della Carlotta al Sasso. The city of Cerveteri is located along Via Aurelia, between the sea and Lake Bracciano, approximately 40 kilometres from Rome and 30 kilometres from the port of Civitavecchia. You can reach Cerveteri from Rome by train and bus.
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Typical products and crafts The Etruscans exported iron and other metals all over the then known world, as well as products of the earth such as grain, oil and – as evidenced by containers discovered in Etruscan shipwrecks – excellent wine, favoured by the volcanic and alluvial soil and the land’s proximity to the sea. There are still numerous wine producers which have inherited these ancient tradition, obtaining over time a deserved brand of quality with national and international success. To accompany the wine, we have dishes based on natural, tasty products: artichokes, derivatives from Etruscan cardoon, which gain a truly special flavour from this ironrich land, oil of excellent quality, and aromatic delicate honey. The potters of the region use their exceptional skills to reproduce the wonderful Etruscan ceramic tableware in its various types: including bucchero, polished black vases, imitations of bronze tableware, and black and red figure decorated. This art also continues up to interpretations of the Medieval and Renaissance eras, alongside the artisan craftsmanship of the jewellers and goldsmiths which reached
exceptional levels with the Etruscans and still lives today in the hands of the expert local artists.
Local festivals and itineraries 17 January: feast day of Anthony the Great, celebrated in the ancient church of Sant’Antonio Abate named after the saint, with the blessing of all the animals which are paraded and covered in ribbons and flowers. Good Friday: historical commemoration of the Passion of Christ in costume. 8 May: feast day of Saint
Michael the Archangel, the patron saint of Cerveteri. Feast day of Madonna di Ceri. May and June: processions with flower art festival to celebrate the Madonna and Corpus Domini. In July, Terzi celebrates beef livestock with the Festival of the Steak, where you can taste the succulent local meats. July and August: the Cerite Summer Festival with various types of shows, including music, film, and theatre. Etruria Jazz Festival. The last weekend in August ends the summer with the Festival of the grapes and wine of Colli Ceriti. In September, San Martino hosts the Festival of the Sausage with tasty local pork meat.
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ITINERARIO NECROPOLI DEL CALVARIO E SCATAGLINI ITINERARY NECROPOLIS OF CALVARIO AND SCATAGLINI
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ITINERARIO COMPLETO 路 COMPLETE ITINERARY
ITINERARIO COMPLETO 路 ITINERARY SECONDI ARCHI
36 Tarquinia
TARQUINIA The Necropolis of Monterozzi
The Tomb of the Jugglers.
The main necropolis of Tarquinia is found on the hills of Monterozzi, which run parallel to the coast for 6 kilometres. Inland, the valley of San Savino separates it from the plateau of Civita, the location of the ancient city. Enveloped in a mythical aura, it is the first discovery of painted hypogea, but according to some traditions, there was Tarquinian inspiration at the basis of Dante’s description of the demon Charun, as was the case with some of Michelangelo’s drawings. The main discoveries date to the 18th and 19th centuries when the fame of the “Corneto Caves” spread throughout
Europe, attracting scholars and collectors. During the 18th century, the pictorial series were documented for the first time with etchings and drawings and, at the start of the 19th century, it was already necessary to protect access to the rooms with doors and to introduce a caretaker. The designs and reproductions (with famous ones by C. Ruspi) of the frescos, often used to decorate the rooms of European museums, had a huge effect on the public, influencing the decorative styles and themes of the era. The tombs are chamber tombs, carved into the rocky embankment, preceded by a dromos (corridor). In the past they were topped by tumuli, now levelled by farming
37 production. Only the most prestigious of the tombs had their walls frescoed; of the 6,000 unearthed, just over 200 were painted, with about fifty of such currently accessible. Twenty tombs are open to the public on a rotation basis. Calvario To the left of the provincial road, you find the area characterised by the most impressive groups of painted tombs. When you leave the ticket office, you come across the Tomb of the Jugglers, one of the most original cases from the late 6th century. The Tomb of the Jugglers On the right-hand wall and the side with the entrance doorway, five dancers move to the sound of the syrinx, the so-called pan pipes, a typical instrument of shepherds, which perhaps alludes to a type of countryside dance, with this being the only evidence found to date. On the back wall, to the rhythm of the aulos, there is a rotating acrobat balancing a candelabrum on his head with a single flame burning. A young man is about to throw two bronze
disks onto the top of the candelabrum to extinguish the flame. To the right of this group, the owner of the tomb is seated on a foldable stool; he is holding a stick, which he is leaning on, and has his head covered by a himation. On the left-hand wall, alongside another crouching figure in the act of defecating and an inscription, Aranth Hercnasa, there is a complex scene: an elderly man, a pedagogue, energetically drags a hesitating young man by the arm, indicating in the direction of the entry wall. Another young man hurries in the same direction, with a curved stick. To the left, there is a third young man standing still, indicating the entrance where there is a double-humped camel, led by a male figure. This exotic animal, originating from eastern Asia Minor, was without doubt one of the attractions of the jugglers. Continuing towards northeast, on the left lie the Tomb of the Warrior, the Tomb of the Burial Recesses, the Tomb of the Hunter, Tomb 3,713, and the Tomb of the Maiden.
Female clothing in Etruscan funeral painting Female clothing from the Ancient and Classical period corresponds to the type of dress worn by Greek women. They dressed in a long chiton with sleeves to the elbows covered by a rectangular cloak (himation). The chiton, tied at the waist by a belt in order to adjust the length, was usually worn a bit shorter than in Greece where it came down to the ankles. As a headdress, especially in the 6th and the early 5th century BC, the women wore what was (mistakenly) called a “tutulus�, a square of fine fabric wrapped tightly around the head, and used to tie the hair up high on the head. The sandals were elegant, made of soft leather, buttoned or tied with laces. In the 6th century BC they were ankle-length and were characterised by a long point (Tomb of the Lionesses, Tomb 5,591, Cardarelli Tomb). We also have evidence of the use of boots up to the mid calf tied with laces (Cardarelli Tomb). This closed footwear was fully replaced by sandals in the 5th century BC.
38 Tarquinia
The Tomb of the Hunter.
The Tomb of the Hunter Also called the Tomb of the Hunting Pavilion, it reproduces a pavilion with a supporting structure formed of poles, a multi-coloured canvas covering, and light, transparent material as walls. The covering canvas ends towards the end with a wide hanging border, with a frieze woven into the material representing animals and a deer hunt. There are various
objects linked to hunting hanging on the supporting posts – for example large hats – and hunted game, in addition to crowns and sashes connected to the theme of feasts. The luxurious hunting pavilion where the owner of the tomb found his final resting place highlights in an original way the desire to show off the wealth, desire for luxury, and passion for hunting of the aristocratic society of Tarquinia at the end of the 6th century BC. The Tomb of the Maiden Access to the tomb is through a long uncovered dromos. The side walls contain a table, with decorated klines featuring coloured covers. At the centre of the back wall is a burial recess in the form of aedicule, used as a sepulchre. There is a couple lying on each kline. The women, luxuriously dressed, are turned to face their respective partners. At the feet of the right-hand kline on the left wall there is a figure of a girl who gave the tomb its name. She holds a kyathos in her hand, bringing it to the reclining woman. The burial recess in the
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back wall was made as an alcove with covers hanging down to the ground and an aedicule as a canopy. Two winged cupids place a cover over the couple lying in the recess. To the right and left of the alcove there are two musicians dressed in typical clothing, playing a kithara (to the left) and an aulos (to the right). This and the nearby Tomb 3,713 were decorated in the second half of the 5th century BC by the same workshop. Returning in the direction of the provincial road, we come across the Tomb of the Lotus Flower, the Tomb of the Lionesses, and the Tomb of Hunting and Fishing.
The Tomb of the Lionesses The bottom part of the chamber is decorated with a band that imitates the surface of the sea with choppy waves, leaping dolphins, and birds. At the top, there is a frieze of palms and lotus flowers and a thick garland of heather, to the sides of which there is a musician playing a kithara and an aulos. There are dancers to the left and right, including a
The Tomb of the Lionesses.
The Tomb of the Lionesses, detail.
40 Tarquinia
The Etruscan banquet The custom of feasting while reclining on beds (klines) which originated in the orient, was acquired by the Greek and Etruscan aristocratic elite in the Orientalising period (late 8th to 7th century BC). The banquet was a bona fide ceremony of great social and religious importance; the shared eating of food and drinking of wine guaranteed the meeting and alliance between noble groups and expressed their link with deities, through offerings and libations. The consumption of meat held a central role as it was a foodstuff for the chosen few and connected to the practice of sacrifices. Just as important was the ceremony of the distribution of wine. It was mixed with water in large vases, drawn into pitchers, and then poured into cups, which were often passed around between the diners while lyrical poetry was being recited to the sound of musical instruments. While banquets and symposia were strictly for men in the Greek world, the Etruscan banquet stands out for the presence of women of high social class, reclining alongside their husbands.
luxuriously dressed woman, a young girl in transparent chiton, and a naked cupbearer. Above, in the tympanum, lie two lionesses in a heraldic pose, with mouths wide open. To the sides, there are two feasting men reclining on ground, with their left elbows leaning on embroidered cushions. The ceiling is decorated with a red and white check motif, which suggests the fabric covering of the ceiling of a house or the canvas of an open-air pavilion. This interpretation is also boosted by the six large columns and the shelf in the tympanum. In addition, there are no trees found here which in other tombs signal an outdoor setting in nature. The Tomb of Hunting and Fishing This tomb has two chambers, one behind the other, with the first room interpreted as an atrium. The woods in the first chamber are most definitely the most magnificent of those conserved: eighteen slender trees, both with and without fruit, are decorated with sashes and garlands, fringed fabrics, mirrors, caskets, and jewels.
There are eleven komasts in loincloths engaging in an ecstatic dance among the trees, accompanied by a figure lying on the ground playing an aulos. In the pediment of the second chamber we see the family feasting: a richlydressed couple embrace while being served by two boys; two young people seated on cushions weave garlands; a little figure playing an aulos wearing a chiton and ependytes accompanies the banquet. The overlying walls are conceived as a
41 representation of a marine landscape. The bottom features the sea, dark in colour, populated by fish and other animals; the sky is full of a storm of birds. Each of the walls features a boat with its crew alongside a small rocky island. On the cliff at the back wall a young boy uses a catapult to hit the birds, while on the left wall a naked boy dives into the sea from the island. The crew of the other two boats are fishing with lines and tridents. Continuing eastwards, you find the Tomb of the Charons, the Tomb
of the Two Roofs, the Gorgoneion Tomb, the Cardarelli Tomb, Tomb 5,591, and the Tomb of the Whipping. The Cardarelli Tomb The back wall is occupied by a false door, with musicians playing a kithara and an aulos to each side. Both wear a chiton of transparent fabric to the calf and a cloth ependytes, as well as pointed sandals. On the left-hand wall, there is a bearded man in loincloths and sandals, dancing to the rhythm of an aulos being played by a luxuriously dressed young man, holding a cup towards a group
The Tomb of Hunting and Fishing. On the following pages: Tomb of the Charons and the Cardarelli Tomb.
42 Tarquinia
Music in Etruria Music was extremely important in Etruscan society. Musical instruments are widely documented in the frescos of the tombs and the pottery, while there is very little archaeological evidence. The lituus unearthed in the Civita complex provides extraordinary records. Based on ancient sources, the instruments from the trumpet family – like the lituus – can be dated to Etruscan origins. The instruments depicted in the tombs were Greek on the other hand. The aulos is the one most represented among the wind instruments, including in scenes of banquets, dancing, athletic games, and ritual contexts. Stringed instruments include the chelis-lyre, with the case formed from a tortoise shell; the barbitos, with a longer, straighter neck; the kithara with a round base case, the most popular stringed instrument in Etruria; and the impressive concert kithara, represented solely in the Tomb of the Maiden. Percussion instruments, like the krotala (similar to castanets in bronze, wood, or bone), are frequent in dance scenes, often associated with the aulos.
formed by a woman, who comes forward dancing, preceded by a slave and followed by a handmaid. The wall to the right depicts a game of kottabos. To each side of the entrance there are paintings of bulky boxers, with their hands wrapped in strips of leather. The hands of each one are raised and hold an inscription of a name; it is not clear whether these are the names of the athletes or the people who hired them. The tomb, painted around 500 BC, represents one of the most perfect examples of late antiquity painting in Tarquinia due to its composition, the execution of the design, the colours used, and the richness of the decoration.
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44 Tarquinia
The Tomb of the Whipping.
The Tomb of the Whipping The two boxers with prominent stomachs facing each other, to the right and left of the door, are similar to those of the Cardarelli Tomb, which was built by the same workshop. Three large false doors are painted in the centre of each wall. There are scenes of dancing and music to the left and right of the door. While for all these figures we can find precise matches with the komasts present in the other tombs constructed by the same workshop, the two erotic groups formed by three
subjects painted to the sides of the false door to the right are a new addition to the repertoire. To the left, two naked men embrace a woman between them and penetrate her simultaneously, from in front and behind. The man to the left holds a sandal in his hand, which was also seen in erotic representations on Grecian vases where it was used to inflict punishments. To the right of the door there is a painting of a woman bent forward performing oral sex on a man, while another sodomises her. The man to the left holds
45 up a whip to beat her. The depiction of such scenes in a funeral environment may surprise a modern public; however, in ancient times they were simply interpreted as a consequence of wine and drunkenness, both considered gifts from the god Dionysus. A path to the right leads to the Tomb of the Flowers. Following along the main path, you come to the Pallottino Tomb (formerly Tomb 5513), the Tomb of the Deer Hunt, and the Double Tomb. Following the path you finally come to the Bartoccini
46 Tarquinia
The Pallottino Tomb.
Tomb. Outside the enclosed area, on the provincial road, you find the Tomb of the Blue Demons, which will soon be open to the public (2014). The Bartoccini Tomb With its four chambers, this is the largest painted tomb dating to the final years of the 6th century BC. From the large richly-decorated antechamber, there are three passages leading to three chambers used for the sepulchres. There is luxurious decoration found in the main room, with the checked ceiling painted in five different colours and
47 the main beam adorned with concentric circles. The tympanum of the rear wall is painted in great detail with a sumptuous banquet. This feast scene is the only one dating to the Ancient and Classical period found in Tarquinia where there is a woman seated on the throne. In all the other depictions, the woman shares the kline with her husband. A woman attending a banquet seated on a chair or throne is typical of Asia Minor; so, in this case, it may be the tomb of one of the many families that
The Bartoccini Tomb.
48 Tarquinia emigrated from Ionia in southern Etruria. Returning to the main route, you reach the area featuring the Tombs of the Funeral Bed, the Tomb of the Triclinium (whose paintings were removed and are now found in the National Museum), the Tomb of the Bacchanals, and the Tomb of the Leopards. The Tomb of the Bacchanals This is the smallest and oldest (dating to approximately 500 BC) of the tombs attributed to workshop of the late antiquity era, called “Master of the Bacchanals” due to the common theme: depictions of dancing komasts. The layout is square and the pictorial space is divided into even sections by trees; each individual portion features a figure or a group of two figures, only absent on the entrance wall. They all relate to each other and seem to interact in a kind of dance. The characters are crowned with twigs; they would appear to be coming from a party, a banquet where drinks had clearly been taken. In the pediment of the back wall there are two pairs of fighting
animals, a red lion with a blue mane attacking a deer with a light dappled cost, placed in heraldic poses to the sides of the shelf supporting the column. The Tomb of the Leopards This is probably the most well-known tomb in Tarquinia. It is in an almost perfect state of conservation and the colours – deep blues and greens – still boast their original
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luminosity. The rear wall features a depiction of a feast; the right-hand wall shows a parade of musicians and dancers, while to the left we see a procession of servants preceded by musicians. Between the people at the feast, the dancers, and the musicians, we find small trees blooming with berries. Here, however, they do not divide the painting into individual zones, as
often is found in other tombs, but instead the figures move around the trees and their arms intersect with the branches. Two naked cup-bearers serve the diners with vases and a sieve; from the left a citharist and an aulos player approach. They are followed by two serving boys, the first with an alabastron and a stick, the second with a casket and mirror, typical gifts for women. The dancers and
The Tomb of the Leopards.
50 Tarquinia
musicians on the right-hand wall draw near to the banquet with large, lively dancing steps, accompanied by musicians with aulos and lyres. The man with the lyre holds his light instrument in his left hand and a large plectrum in his right. Primi Archi Continuing along the provincial roads, near Fondo Lancioni, there are famous hypogea which are now closed to the public except for periodic visits. In particular, these include the Tomb of the Typhoon, one of
51 The Tomb of the Augurs.
the largest of the Hellenistic period, belonging to the Pumpu family. Further on, the stretch of the aqueduct called “Primi Archi� overlies the rift that cuts across the hill of Monterozzi and originally corresponded to an Etruscan route which led down to the sea from the city. Along this roadway we find the Tomb of the Cardinal and the Tomb of the Shields, famous for the paintings related to the Velcha gens, also closed to the public. Following along the
provincial road and turning right onto the road of the arches, after roughly one kilometre you reach the necropolis of the Secondi Archi. The sector of the necropolis situated to the right of the road was the location of many painted hypogea, including those currently removed and exhibited in the Museum (the Tomb of the Chariots, the Tomb of the Olympians, and the Tomb of the Ship). The route includes the Tomb of the Panthers (see section on the Museum), the Tomb of
The Tomb of the Typhoon.
52 Tarquinia
The Tomb of the Baron.
the Baron, the Tomb of the Bulls, and the Tomb of the Augurs. The Giglioli and Giustiniani Tombs will soon be open (2014), located between the Tomb of the Panthers and the Tomb of the Baron. The Tomb of the Baron This tomb gets its name from its discoverer, Baron Kestner, and stands out for its rhythmic, solemn composition, featuring alternating stylised figures and trees, with an almost monumental elegant effect. The rear wall features a bearded man with a large black cup, leaning on a young man playing an aulos facing a woman with a light-coloured chiton, red cloak and tutulus, in the act of raising her hands. Behind both figures there are two young
blond men on a black horse to the left and a red horse to the right. The figures are interspersed with five trees and there are two crowns hanging down from above. The wall to the right shows the two young blond men facing each other, with the horses behind them. The left-hand wall contains the same scene, but in the centre the woman is richly dressed. The composition was varyingly interpreted as a scene of saying farewell to the deceased, the representation of a ritual, or in a mythological key, as the presentation of Semele to the gods by her son Dionysus or as a reference to the cult of Castor and Pollux. The stylistic similarities with Eastern Greece suggest that this tomb was painted by an artist that had emigrated
53 from Ionia around 510 BC. The Tomb of the Bulls This specimen stands out among the tombs of the 6th century BC due to the unique mythological scene on the main wall and the architectural layout, with a spacious main chamber and two secondary rooms, where the depositions of the deceased were found. The representation shows the young Troilus, son of Priam, on horseback in the sanctuary of Thymbrian Apollo outside the gates of
Troy. He stops there to let his horse drink, but behind the fountain Achilles lies in ambush, with his sword drawn, intending to kill the prince who scorned his love. Achilles is dressed as a warrior, with a helm, greaves, and suit of armour, while Troilus is naked, like an adolescent. Only the blue sandals with the tip pointing upwards show his status as prince. The overlying frieze, which gives the tomb its name, shows two erotic groups, one of which is being
The Tomb of the Bulls.
54 Tarquinia The Tomb of the Augurs.
attacked by a bull with a human face. At the centre we find the inscription which reveals the owner of the tomb: “Arath Spuriana”. The Tomb of the Augurs The name of this tomb derives from the characters featured on the rear wall, figures in stances of lamentation alongside a false door, the symbol of the passage to the afterlife. In the past they were mistakenly interpreted as Augurs. The side walls feature games in honour of the deceased. To the right there is a wrestling match and a game where a masked figure, the “Phersu”, sets a ferocious dog against a man with his head in a bag, armed with a large club. His injuries are already bleeding copiously and it is only a matter of time before he yields. To the left, two boxers fight to the sound of an aulos; an athlete performs a large jump and looks towards two robust figures to the left and the right of the entranceway, engaged in a wrestling match. The two figures are tied to a rope and try to pull their adversary through the thorns. This type of
tug of war is, like the game of the Phersu, rather rare to Tarquinia, but both reveal that the
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games in Etruria may have been different to the proper sports known in Greece and
included ritual punishments, executions, and intervals with actors.
56 The National Museum of Tarquinia
History The history of the Etruscan city of Tarquinia (Tarkunía, Tarquinii) began between the end of the Bronze Age and the start of the Iron Age (10th to 9th centuries BC). It occupied the plateau of Civita, which, as you can see from the viewing point at the summit of Alberata Dante Alighieri, extends parallel to the hills of Monterozzi, where modern-day Tarquinia lies, founded during the Early Middle Ages under the name of Corneto. Information on the history of Tarquinia is linked to its relations with Rome, which was strongly influenced politically and economically by Tarquinia in ancient times, as seen in the Etruscan monarchy of the Tarquinii dynasty in Rome in the 7th to 6th century BC. Palazzo Vitelleschi.
The National Museum of Tarquinia The National Museum of Tarquinia, inaugurated in 1924 in the splendid Palazzo Vitelleschi, boasts a collection of materials from excavations carried out in municipal areas in the second half of the 19th century and the rich Bruschi-Falgari collection, formed of private research in the current “Calvario” area, acquired by the Italian State in 1913. Palazzo Vitelleschi One of the most important Renaissance monuments in the Lazio region, this building was commissioned by Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi between
1436 and 1439, exploiting the preexisting structures dating to the 12th and 14th centuries. The loggias of the three floors face out onto the central courtyard, where the marble curb of the well shows the coat of arms of the Vitelleschi family. The ground floor was used for services, the second floor for entertaining, and the third level for the private quarters. After the death of the cardinal, victim of an ambush in 1440, the building, initially used as a residence for passing popes, gradually fell into ruin, until it was auctioned off in 1900 by its last owners, the Soderini counts and was bought by the Municipality of Corneto.
57 With the expulsion of the Tarquinii family and the end of their power over Rome, there was often open hostility between the two cities, partly due to the Roman expansion towards Etruscan territories. This resulted in a war in 358 BC, remembered for the ferocious episode of the slaughter of 307 Roman prisoners in the forum of Tarquinia, which was reprised by the massacre of 358 noble Etruscans in the Roman forum in 354 BC. The defeats suffered by the Etruscan cities during the 3rd century BC marked the end of their independence. Even though the exact date of Rome’s conquest of Tarquinia is unknown, it must have occurred during the 3rd century BC, as the Roman colony of Gravisca was settled in Tarquinia territory in 181 BC. During the period of the Roman Republic and the early Empire era, the city was still flourishing and the traditions of the local aristocratic families enjoy prestige. This is evidenced in the Elogia Tarquiniensia, a series of inscriptions commemorating the genealogy and feats of the Spurinna family. With the fall of the Roman Empire, the settlement of Tarquinia, in the historical location of Pian della Regina and Pian di Civita, was not abandoned but instead continued to exist, gradually centring in the area called Castellina, often an open rival of
Corneto. It was this hostility with Corneto that led to the definitive destruction of Tarquinia at the beginning of the 14th century. The decline of Etruscan Tarquinia corresponded to the rise of the new town of Corneto on the hills of Monterozzi. Solid evidence of the new settlement dates to the middle of the 9th century AD. The new city evolved rapidly in the subsequent centuries favoured by the reestablishment of trade, especially by sea. Corneto was a free town by the 12th century, a period when it signed trade agreements with Pisa and Genoa. During this century the city grew furiously, practically doubling its city centre. This period of great wealth saw the construction of the widespread Romanesque churches, with the church of S. Maria di Castello standing out, which was built in the area of the first Medieval expansion, and the many towers that evidenced the power of the families of Corneto in the Middle Ages. Following its peak in the early 14th century with the expansion into the countryside, more or less corresponding to the current territory of the municipality, the city underwent a slow decline in the centuries that followed. The Late Middle Ages saw the rise of the Vitelleschi family, originally from Foligno, whose main political and
military exponent was Cardinal Giovanni, who lived in the first half of the 15th century. The construction of Palazzo Vitelleschi, where the National Museum of Tarquinia is now located, is owed to him. In the modern period, the city, in net and constant demographic decline, was subject to the history of the towns of Maremma. It was affected by phases of population and depopulation due to migration and the birth of a noble oligarchy with large land ownership. The noble residences from this period still remain today, including Palazzo Bruschi-Falgari, where the Municipal Library is now located. During the 19th century, Corneto underwent a huge phase of restoring ancient monuments, with various research campaigns thanks to the antique activism of some noble families and the presence of foreign scholars and writers, including George Dennis and Henri Beyle, better known as Stendhal. In 1872, Corneto joined the Kingdom of Italy and following the strong campaigning of the elite of the period and the mayor, the historian and antiquarian Luigi Dasti, it took the double name of Corneto-Tarquinia. In 1922, the oblivion of Corneto was complete with the transfer of the name of the ancient Etruscan city to the medieval centre. From that moment Corneto became Tarquinia definitively.
58 The National Museum of Tarquinia
Reconstruction of the tomb of the Versna family.
Below: Room of the stepped slabs. On the opposite page: The Tomb of the Panther.
The ground floor The ground floor is dedicated to the collection of stone materials. In front of the entrance we find the ticket office and the bookshop,
alongside which there is a tomb dating to the Orientalising period taken from the necropolis of Monterozzi, rebuilt just as it was unearthed in 1980. The inscription
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on a memorial stone tells us that it belonged to the noble Versna family. The nearby Rooms 3 and 4 contain samples of the so-called “stepped slabs�.
The stepped slabs In the necropolises subject to the Tarquinia area of influence, archaeologists found some stone slabs carved in low relief, characterised by motifs in recesses similar to the steps of a stairway. They were produced in the later years of the Medium Orientalising era (650-630 BC), the Late Orientalising period (630-570 BC), and in the first three decades of the Archaic epoch (560-530 BC). The figurative repertoire included, above all, the typical fantastical figures of Orientalising art, but, in the final phase, there were also scenes from Greek mythology. Production ended with the beginning of wall paintings, which follow a decorative project started from similar bases but in more enchanting and
The Tomb of the Panthers This is the oldest painted tomb in Tarquinia, dating to the period between the 7th and 6th centuries BC. On the rear wall, in your direct visual field when you enter the tomb, there are representations of two large felines with spotted coats and hind legs placed on a type of mask of a feline protome with long hair. The panther to the left is looking towards the entrance, while the head of the animal on the right is in profile. On the entrance wall, to the right and left of the door, there are two more felines, similar to lions, who act as guardians to the entrance to the tomb.
60 The National Museum of Tarquinia
The necropolis of Fondo Scataglini In the 1960s, the Lerici Foundation of Milan Politecnico carried out a systematic excavation, unearthing a significant part of the monumental necropolis from the HellenisticRoman period: 150 tombs carved into the rocky embankment at various levels, which exploited the original stone caves. The cornerstone of the complex is the main cemetery road and a square at the centre where we find the tomb of the noble Aninas family.
complex forms. There are various interpretations of their function: tomb doors or stone reproductions of wooden ceilings. Some see the figures of mythical animals as symbolic representations or signs of the zodiac, confirming an oriental origin of these lowreliefs, whereas others have underlined the aspect of warding off evil, with the animals placed there to protect the dead. Other hypotheses claim that the slabs had a practical function, allowing the family members to access the top of the tumulus. Rooms 5-11 are dedicated to the funeral monuments and sarcophagi from the noble tombs of the Hellenistic era. Rooms 10 and 11, in particular, contain the sarcophagi of the Partunu family and those originating from Poggio del Cavalluccio, belonging to the noble Camna family and a side
branch, the Camna Plecu family. The “sarcophagus of the priest” One of the most significant pieces is the so-called “sarcophagus of the priest” in Greek marble from Paros, which contained the remains of Laris Part(i)unus, the forefather of the Partunu gens, represented in high relief on the lid, with a long dress and a pix in his left hand. The four sides are painted with scenes from the saga of Troy, such as the sacrifice of the Trojan prisoners by Achilles during the funerals of Patroclus, which are accompanied by clearly Etruscan figures, like the demon Charun, expressing the adaptation of the iconography of Greek inspiration to the local religion. The sarcophagus of the priest. Below: Room 11. On the opposite page: Tomb of the Aninas family.
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The first floor Room 1 contains a collection of samples of artefacts from the Iron Age originating from the Villanovan necropolises of Tarquinia. There are some reconstructions of well tombs in the permanent exhibition located on the third floor of the Museum. Room 2 holds the tomb of Bocchoris.
The stone sarcophagi in Tarquinia Alongside the Greek marble sarcophagi carved by Greek artists, most of the stone sarcophagi belong to the local world. The oldest specimen dates to the middle of the 4th century BC, deriving from the Orient, with a double-pitched lid. In a subsequent stage, the representation of the deceased is inserted onto the lid, which from the second half of the 4th century BC becomes more complex and raised. At the end of the century, the deceased is raised on his side and leaning on an arm, in a banqueting position; this version is confirmed and maintained for the entire 3rd and 2nd centuries BC.
62 The National Museum of Tarquinia
The Villanovan necropolises in Tarquinia The demographic size of Tarquinia’s community in the Villanovan era was expressed through the extremely high number of tombs and cremations found both in the hills facing the modern-day Strada Statale 1 bis and on the hills of Monterozzi. These include the recently-discovered finds at Villa Bruschi Falgari, with over two hundred tombs.
The Bocchoris Tomb (room 2), Etruscan-geometrical vases.
On the opposite page: The Bocchoris Tomb (room 2), Egyptian situla in faïence.
The Tomb of Bocchoris The tomb, which has since been lost, owes its name to the Egyptian situla in faïence containing the scroll of the Pharaoh Bocchoris. The remains of the grave goods, violated straight from its discovery, represent one of the most important contexts of the Ancient Orientalising period. The tomb presumably had one single female corpse. In addition to the situla and numerous pieces of gold jewellery that have now been lost, the goods also included exotic products in faïence, imported from Egypt or Phoenicia, many Etruscan-geometrical vases of excellent craftsmanship, and two large clay pots with red surfaces on high supports, which
evidence the acquisition of the ceremony of the banquet from the eastern and Greek world. The tomb dates to approximately 700690 BC. Room 3 contains other objects from the Orientalising era, including the remains of the original grave goods from the Tomb of Poggio Gallinaro and the so-called “Tomb of the Golden Harness”. The following rooms are dedicated to locallyproduced or imported pottery, originating above all from the 19th century excavations at the necropolis of Monterozzi, characterised by the presence of hundreds of painted tombs. The original contexts of materials recovered at that time have unfortunately been lost. Room 4 offers a sample of ceramics imported from Corinth and a
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The necropolis of Doganaccia
panorama of local productions in Etruscan-Corinthian ceramics, black figure Etruscan and bucchero styles. Rooms 5 and 6 contain ample documentation of black and red figure Attic ceramics. Red figure cup signed by Oltos Discovered in 1874 in a chamber tomb at the cemetery, this is an exceptional specimen
Among the oldest and most suggestive necropolises of Monterozzi, the cemetery of Doganaccia, at the centre of the vast Etruscan necropolis of Tarquinia, stands out. It is a large archaeological complex dominated by a towering pair of princely tumuli built into the hilly landscape rolling down to the sea. The two monuments from the Orientalising period (7th century BC) are known with the popular names of “the king’s” and “the queen’s”. These names allude to the impressive appearance of the tombs, which to the eyes of observers appear, partly due to their isolation, among the most visible “hills” of the Tarquinia necropolis. Tumuli are a characteristic element of the Etruscan landscape from the Orientalising and Ancient periods (7th to 6th centuries BC). The monumental tumuli at Tarquinia are princely sepulchres with foundations built or carved into the rock, covered by a protruding cap of earth. These architectural characteristics are indicative of the high prestige reached by the people buried there and their families; indeed, at the beginning of the 7th century BC, the aristocratic class focuses their main efforts on funeral architecture as a metaphor of their wealth and power, with the precise intent of exalting their rank. The type of monumental tumulus seen in Tarquinia usually includes a large funeral chamber with a rectangular layout whose walls gradually curve inwards at the top (with an ogival profile); the peak is cut off by a lengthwise fissure closed off by heavy stone slabs. Some tumuli were lined at the base with stonework in chiselled and moulded blocks, probably decorated on the top with animal sculptures (threatening wild beasts and monsters placed on guard at the sepulchres), as illustrated by the 19th century reconstruction sketches. In front of the tomb, there was a large open-air vestibule (“piazzaletto”) used for the funeral ceremonies and shows. The Tarquinia architectural model was inspired by a type of royal tombs dating to the 8th to 7th centuries BC known in Homeric Cyprus. Indeed, the necropolis of Salamina, in the southeast of the island, contains sepulchres with extremely rich grave goods comparable with those in Tarquinia due to the presence of the tumulus, the large entrance, and chiselled brickwork. It is probable that this model originated from the architects who arrived in Tarquinia from the east at the beginning of the 7th century BC. They may have introduced innovative architectural schemes here.
64 The National Museum of Tarquinia
Attic cup with red figures signed by Oltos. Below: Attic vase in the form of a female head. On the opposite page: The Weapons Room, section of anchor with dedication to Sostratos.
due to its size, which makes practical use completely impossible, the mythological scenes depicted, and the inscription in the Etruscan language under the base, a dedication to Castor and Pollux by the owner, the Etruscan Venel Atelinas. The cup is signed by the painter Oltos. Inside the medallion lies the signature of the potter: “Euxitheos epoiesen”. Side A depicts a divine assembly, perhaps related to the assumption of Ganymede to Olympus after his abduction by Zeus. Just as interesting is the scene on Side B: Dionysus in the act of setting out in his quadriga, surrounded by a lively court of maenads and satyrs. The dedication in Etruscan to Castor and Pollux, the saving heroes invoked by
Venel Atelinas, leads us to think of a precise value of this latter image, probably an allusion to the journey to the underworld. The cup is dated to 510-500 BC. Vase in the shape of female head The oinochoe is made in the form of a female head with a beautiful oval face and elegant hairstyle, formed by a cap, decorated by a meander, and by lines of silhouettes of animals, topped by a polos (a cylindrical head covering, typical of goddesses and women of the upper classes). The vase, already restored in ancient times as we can see from the metal staples, features the signature of the potter: “Charinos epoiesen”. The artefact is dated to roughly 500 BC. Vases in the form of the heads of women or
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Attic vases in Etruria
coloured people were widespread in the period between the end of the 6th century BC and the start of the 5th century BC. There are other existing examples of the work of the potter Charinos, both signed and not signed. The second floor The Weapons Room Facing onto a grand portico that dominates the landscape towards the coast, the Weapons Room, on the second floor of the building, hosts a permanent collection including some of the most recent discoveries in the various areas of ancient Tarquinia. To the left you can find the artefacts from the emporia of Gravisca, including the famous anchor with the dedication to Apollo by
Sostratos di Egina. To the left and right of the entrance, there is a sample of remains from Poggio Cretoncini and the city walls. In the centre lie the fragments of architectural decoration from the Ara della Regina, the recently-restored
The rich Etruscan aristocracy were the most significant target of the trading of illustrated vases produced between the 6th and 4th centuries BC by the Athenian ceramic workshops (the potters quarter), many of which were fully conserved within the chamber tombs. These objects were not only used in tombs, nor was that their main function; indeed, vases were also unearthed in the areas of Etruscan sanctuaries and residential areas. The large room of the triple-lancet windows (Room 7) contains a collection of masterpieces of Attic red figure vases found in Tarquinia.
66 The National Museum of Tarquinia
The bronzes from the complex of Civita. Detail of winged horses from the Ara della Regina. On the opposite page: The Tomb of the Two Boys.
winged horses, and the cases dedicated to the excavations of the monumental complex of Civita. There are two maquettes placed in the centre of the room dedicated to the complex and sanctuary of Ara della Regina. To the right lies the area related to the necropolises, with a sample of Villanovan well tombs from the necropolis of Bruschi Falgari and other sepulchres from various eras, including the “Tomb of the Two Boys” from the Orientalising era, reconstructed as it
The Villanovan necropolis of Villa Bruschi Falgari Dating to the early Iron Age (1020/960 - 880/850 BC), this necropolis was systematically excavated in 1998 by the Superintendence for Southern Etruria. It contains the sepulchres that probably relate to the village identified in the area of Infernaccio. The area is occupied by a large number of sepulchres, very close to one another, mostly used for cremation, with the burial of ossuaries and grave goods in wells or in containers made of local stone buried in the ground.
was when it was unearthed. The “bronzes of Civita” A bronze shield, lituus, and axe, with the former two bent and the latter without a handle, ritually interred in a grave at the entrance to the Beta building, are presumably the remains of a liturgy connected with its foundation. Their deep symbolic value, linked to military and religious power, refers to a supreme authority, the holder of maximum political and religious authority over this area. The winged horses of the Ara della Regina Unearthed in fragments by Pietro Romanelli in 1938, the high relief was part of a decoration on the pediment of the temple. It belonged to a decorative series where the subject, mythological in character, is still being debated today. The pair of horses,
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Excavations in the city: the “holy-institutional complex�
facing towards the left, was yoked to a chariot with only the axis of the shaft now remaining. At least one person, most likely divine and unknown for now, must have ridden the chariot. Recent restoration has revealed the production technique used in all its finery and identified the different colours of the two horses, one light and the other dark. It is probable that the winged horses were produced in the early decades of the 4th century BC in connection with a monumental restructuring of the sanctuary. The Tomb of the Two Boys This trench tomb, quadrangular in form, contained the remains of two young men between fourteen and twenty years old buried alongside each other. Both were without personal objects except a silver ankle chain and were
Subject to the systematic excavations of the University of Milan for thirty years, the area is exceptionally important, the lynchpin of a city that played a fundamental role in the development of Etruscan religion. Ritual pyres and offerings of deer antlers, seeds and produce from the land near a natural recess and the nearby deposition of a child with encephalopathy are the earliest evidence of the settlement, dating to around the second half of the 10th century BC. The construction of a temple near the natural recess is dated to between the end of the 8th century BC and start of the 7th century BC. The building, called Beta by its discoverers, was inaugurated with a ritual ceremony which used these three bronzes and other ornaments then buried in trenches. The building technique, imported from the Near East, involved the use of pillars set uneven distances apart and alternated with stones. The roof was probably double-pitched, covered in beams and perishable materials. The layout was divided into a pronos and chamber. At the back there was a bench-altar from which the blood of the victim was channelled to the natural recess. In the second half of the 7th century, two symmetrical enclosures were built on the long sides of the building, giving it a scenographic effect. Recent discoveries have shown how, during the 5th century BC, the recess was covered by a road going north to south which divided the residential area in two, linking the summit of the plateau to its edge. Along the side, buildings were constructed which
68 The National Museum of Tarquinia
The sanctuary of Ara della Regina The most monumental of the Etruscan temples discovered to date is located on the eastern plateau of Civita, where the residential area and access to the plateau dominated. The remains visible today are the result of a series of stages of existence and restructuring works involving the entire complex, starting at least from the Ancient era (end of the 7th century BC to the start of the 6th century BC), up to the Hellenistic epoch (4th to 3rd centuries BC). The temple was unearthed by Pietro Romanelli in 1938. The building, set out
east to south-east, lies on an important foundation in marble blocks laid out to the south of a sacred road, of which only the Roman paving remains today. A large flight of steps at the front of the complex led to the upper terrace. Here we see two structures set in different directions merged together. Recent research has proven that they were built at the beginning of the 4th century BC, in memory of a pre-existing place. The layout of the actual temple includes alae and a cella, a pronos (entrance) with four columns and some back rooms.
armed with spears placed beside the bodies, with the tip near their crania. There were rich grave goods discovered around the legs and at the feet of the two boys: exquisitely made clay artefacts, present in pairs or multiples of two. The burial of these two unknown
boys stands out due to the silver ankle chain and the wealth of the shared grave goods. This perhaps referred to a connection in their deaths, the nature of which is unknown. The cardinal’s chapel and office On the second floor of the building, once you leave the room of the painted tombs, you find the chapel and office of Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi. The office is decorated with frescos dating to the 15th century, relating to episodes from the New Testament and the cycle of stories about Lucrezia. Both rooms were restored thanks to the initiative promoted by the Tarquinia Society of Art and History and now host paintings from the local Renaissance and late medieval pottery originating from the archaeological digs carried out at the Palazzo itself. The room of the painted tombs In front of the palatine chapel you come to the room that contains four of the seven tombs removed in the 1950s to preserve them from ruin. The Tomb of the Triclinium The ceiling is decorated with a rhombus motif, with the supporting
69 column and shelf covered in heather. A bench on three decorated klines occupies the entire rear wall. A man and a woman recline on each of these. A naked cupbearer with oinochoe and sieve serves drinks, while a woman carries an alabastron full of perfume. To the left there is a figure playing an aulos. In front of the klines, we find elegant three-legged tables holding bronze cups and low calices. Underneath, a cat creeps towards a cock and a hen. The side walls feature a line of dancers and musicians moving between the adorned trees, each figure represented in a different manner. The trees are populated by birds, a fox, a marten, and a hare. The entrance wall shows two knights dressed only in a chlamys (a short cloak), who have just dismounted their horses.
The Tomb of the Triclinium. The Tomb of the Chariots This is without doubt the most richly decorated tomb of Tarquinia. Above the large frieze with scenes of dancing and banquets, runs a small protruding frieze in the zone of the architrave, showing athletic games and chariot races. Worth noting are the tribunes of the spectators, constructions erected on posts, equipped with suns shades and benches to sit on. Under the tribunes we The Tomb of the Chariots.
70 The National Museum of Tarquinia all the other tombs, where the backdrop for the figures is always light.
The Tomb of the Ship.
can see the naked athletes lying down waiting their turn. There are various sports represented: including discus throwing, wrestling, and boxing. An armed dancer moves along to the music of an aulos; a female dancer balances a high candelabra on her head with a single flame burning, h a young man tries to extinguish by throwing disks (a theme that is better conserved in the Tomb of the Jugglers). The chariot race is shown in its initial stage, in a scene rich in detail. The Tomb of the Chariots not only offers the most complete representation of the theme of games and races; indeed, there is also a particularly interesting abundant use of colour in the large frieze, where the figures emerge out from a dark red background, unlike in
The Tomb of the Ship This tomb is particularly interesting due to the depictions on the lefthand wall: alongside the usual banquet lies the reproduction of a ship and the entire panorama of a port. In an inlet surrounded by three cliffs, we find a large cargo ship with two masts; the crew looks to the bottom of the parapet, gesticulating. Three smaller boats and another sailing ship are seen to the left. Immediately to the right there is a banquet scene, which occupies the right third of the left-hand wall, the entire rear wall, and the left third of the wall to the right. The end wall shows three klines each with its own couple being served by three young naked boys. From the right a male and female dancer approach the banquet, followed by another female dancer who twirls to the rhythm of her finger cymbals. She has her back turned to another figure playing an aulos. The tomb dates to the mid 5th century BC at the earliest. Based on its type, the large double-mast sailing ship with a crew
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The Tomb of the the floor. To the left of the door on the entrance Olympiads. wall, we see a reclining fully naked man surrounded by mice, while a crow drinks from his cup. The back wall shows what is probably the goddess Aphrodite The Tomb of the showing her beauty to Olympiads the Trojan prince Paris, The pediments of the who jumps in shock. In Tomb of the Olympiads the figures painted to depict particularly the left of the door we original and lively can make out Hermes, banquet scenes. On the Hera, and Athena who rear wall you can still are moving away after make out four diners the judgement of Paris. lying on the ground. The side walls show One seems to be sporting competitions, tumbling back from the while the right wall shelf, while another is features large metal comfortably set in the vases, prizes for the curve of the shelf with a visitors. cushion. This Ionic-style tomb There are vases and an was painted around 510 upside-down olpe on BC.
can be identified as a cargo ship; therefore, the owner of the Tomb of the Ship was possibly a merchant or ship owner who had accumulated his wealth through maritime trade or voyages on the seas.
Index
L’UNESCO
3
2004 Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia
4
Cerveteri
10
Historical-naturalistic itineraries
32
Tarquinia
36
The National Museum of Tarquinia
56